It is sad and pathetic what has happened to the US dollar. The US government officials continue to insist that a debased currency is a great benefit to the US in that it boosts exports. However, the US is a net importer and all our purchases become more expensive with a devalued currency, and Americans become poorer relatieve to others in the world like the Australians, Canadians, and Europeans.

Retired 2 1/2 years ago after many years of commuting weekly from SF Bay area to So. Calif. Did not want to "miss the life" of preferred treatment for both air travel and hotel stays, so .....replaced those business trips with Intl leisure trips to wherever the cheap fares or promotions are. Also now and then just go where we want to go. Also replaced my annual corporate job objectives with these two: 1. Keep Platinum status with Starwood and 2. Keep Premier Executive with United. Meeting these two annual performance objectives has been a lot more fun than the previous ones i had! However, definitely relate to your desire and need to put work and family before travel. Hoping that in the future, sooner than later, you can fulfill your desires for preferential travel treatment from airlines and hotels again with many fun and interesting trips!

I had to be "out of the life" for six months for health reasons and I hated it. I hope the OP learns to make his own travel opportunities.

Way OT but I do love the bargains that can be had in/from the US whilst paying in AUD

Do to a lot of personal stuff ( including the birth of a grandchild ) I decided to take this year off . I have been averaging about one trip every 6 weeks. So far I don't miss the agravation of airlines, TSA, etc one bit.

I also discovered CO's "buy your status" plan and am very much enjoying just giving them some money versus flying in circles to maintain status.